Free The Fallen 4 by Thomas E. Sniegoski Page A

is alive, in its own way,” she told him. “It’s the power of the living, and everything that ever lived, given shape and purpose.”
    He hated to bring it up, but if she wanted him to cast spells, then she had to know his concerns.
    “I’ve seen what this magick can do,” he said. “And I’ve seen what it does… to you.”
    “It takes something out of you, I won’t deny it,” Lorelei admitted.
    “But, and I mean this with no disrespect, you’re not human. If it has depleted your health this much, what will it do to me? I’m only human.”
    “You are?” she asked.
    He was shocked by her retort. “Yeah, I am,” he told her.
    She turned back to her selection of books.
    “You stopped being human the minute you took the Instrument into your possession,” Lorelei told him. “Now get over here and lend me your arms,” she ordered. “We’re going to need quite a few of these if I’m going to properly teach you magick.”
    *   *   *
    Gabriel noticed that it was darker than it had been yesterday at this time. That concerned him. Most of the creatures his friends fought shunned the daylight hours.
    The beasts emerged into the world to hunt with the coming of night.
    The Labrador sniffed around the perimeter of the property, searching for the scent of animals that lived in the surrounding woods. He remembered a time when this was his favorite thing to do, besides eating.
    But he’d been simpler then. Aaron had not yet used the power of the Nephilim to bring him back from the brink of death; Aaron had not yet changed him into something more than just a dog.
    These days, when Gabriel pondered such things, he wondered if he really was better off now. Before his change, complex thoughts would never have entered his mind. He’d been perfectly content to just sniff the scents of local wildlife.
    Gabriel especially enjoyed the rabbits, though his joy ofchasing them had waned dramatically since his transformation. He’d come to understand how scared they were when he did that. He didn’t get much enjoyment from scaring anything. The world had become far too scary on its own.
    Nose pressed to the ground, Gabriel felt the presence of Lorelei’s spells as he got too close to the edge of the grounds. The magickal boundaries made the fur on his neck and back stand at attention. Then he saw movement from the corner of his eye.
    Gabriel thought it might have been one of the Nephilim, or maybe even a deer, but he smelled it ever so slightly in the air and recognized it for what it was.
    He smelled one of his own kind.
    Ignoring the electrical tingle of the magickal barrier, Gabriel surged toward the scent, only to see a small, brown shape running away.
    “Wait!” he barked excitedly. Gabriel hadn’t encountered another dog in these parts before, and was already thinking that he or she might have been lost, or maybe even abandoned. The thought of having canine company filled him with excitement, and he wondered if Aaron would even allow it. But that was something to consider at another time. First he wanted to be certain that the stray was okay.
    Gabriel barked again, catching sight of the small dog as it ran farther from the school property.
    “I mean you no harm!” Gabriel barked, in close pursuit. “I just want to talk with you!”
    He caught a glimpse of the dog’s back end as it ducked beneath the thick hanging leaves of a bush. Gabriel followed without hesitation. The branches were low to the ground, and he had to crawl on his belly for a bit before emerging into a clearing.
    The other dog had stopped in the middle of the open area and seemed to be waiting for him.
    “Hello,” Gabriel said, attempting to keep his excitement level down so as not to scare the little dog away.
    The dog did not move. He stared at Gabriel with dull, black eyes.
    Cautiously the Lab moved closer, his tail wagging furiously. He’d met many other breeds over the years, and was certain that he’d never encountered another dog